The present invention relates to a patient position detection apparatus for a bed. More particularly, the present invention relates to a bed exit and patient position detection apparatus which has multiple modes of operation for providing information to a caregiver regarding a location of a patient on a support deck of the bed and for providing an indication when the patient has exited the bed.
When a patient is required to stay in a hospital bed at a hospital or other patient care facility, it is desirable for a caregiver to be able to monitor the presence, absence, and location of the patient on the bed support surface and to monitor the patient""s activity level. Caregivers within a hospital or other patient care facilities are continuously responsible for more and more activities. One of these activities is monitoring patients who need to be restricted to the bed or patients that are at a risk of falling or aggravating injuries if they exit the bed. Patients having certain patient profiles, such as confusion, weakness, or disorientation, are more likely to be injured or reinjured if they exit the bed. Patients with certain types of medical conditions therefore require monitoring of both their presence on the bed and their or location on the support surface. In this instance, the present invention provides an alarm when the patient moves out of the predetermined position on the bed, prior to exiting the bed.
Some patients are allowed by doctor""s orders to move about freely on the bed in order to access the bed controls, a phone, or other items or to reposition themselves for comfort. In this situation, an alarm is only required if the patient totally exits the bed.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrated embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.